Apple Ups Ore. School's Enthusiasm and Test Scores

iPads ready and headphones in place, Elizabeth Docken's fifth-grade class is in position for the hunt.

Scattered around the classroom at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Milwaukie, Ore. are bar codes waiting to be scanned -- waiting to link these students with the information they'll need to understand the basics of an ecosystem.

With the iPad held steadily just a few inches away from the code, the camera focuses in. Once the code -- a QR code, to be exact -- is scanned, a new screen pops up with either a paragraph of information or a YouTube video.

That's when you see the archaic-looking -- in comparison -- pencils and paper come out as the fifth-graders jot down the answers to questions on their worksheet.